Toki Tori Review

Introduction

Toki Tori is a puzzle platform game by Two Tribes. It was originally released for game boy colour in 2001, then more recently for PC/Mac on Steam and for WiiWare on Wii. I played the PC version.

Toki Tori shooting ice gun

Gameplay

Toki Tori is a chicken. Levels are completed by guiding Toki Tori to collect all eggs.

You have abilities like building bridges, teleporting or firing an ice gun to help you. There are 4 different worlds Forrest Falls, Creepy Castle, Bubble Barrage, and Slimy Sewer.

The game has nice 3d graphics, although the actual game is 2D, the sound track is also good.

The game has lots of content with levels for normal and hard difficulties as well as bonus levels that unlock as you complete levels. There is also the potential for fan made levels as a level editor is included with the pc version.

One Criticism of Toki Tori is towards the end of the game levels become really difficult and needed to much trial and error to complete.

Toki Tori underwater in bubble barrage world

Conclusion

Overall Toki Tori is a solid puzzle game I see myself going back to.

Score 6/10

Flash Game - No time to Explain

No time to Explain is a free flash based platformer game with excellent music. While it lasts its great fun.

flash based platformer - No Time To Explain

Nier Review

Introduction

Nier is an action rpg game developed by Cavia and published by Square Enix. You play as the character Nier a middle aged man trying to find a cure for his daughter Yonah who is terminally ill.

Nier fighting shades

Gameplay

The enemies in the game are called shades and as you level up you can defeat stronger shades

The combat in Nier is hack and slash. You can choose between spear, single handed sword or two handed sword, as well as crafting better weapons from items you find. Nier carries a book called Grimoir Weiss that gives you different magic abilities.

Something different about Nier combat is magic ball shooting bosses like in a shoot-em-up game. It works well and you have to remember the patterns of the bullets so you can dodge them.

In the game you meet different characters and learn more about them as the game continues.  There is lots to the Nier story and after you complete the game you can get more information about different characters and an alternate ending by using a “New Game +” feature that starts you mid way through the game.  There are a total of 4 endings.

The game sometimes switches between isometric, 3D, and side view. Side view worked really well for entering buildings, and the transitions between the views is really smooth.

Some of the levels are completely text based where you read a long story and then choose the right answers to the questions to complete the level.

Nier soundtrack is one of the best I know. All the different songs match the different moods. The graphics in Nier are good, and most of the locations are unique and interesting.

One criticism is the Nier world is not very large and you have to play through some areas multiple times.

Kainé and Nier

Conclusion

Overall I enjoyed Nier, the soundtrack was simply great. The game has good replay value because of 4 different endings, as well as weapons crafting and side quests.

Score 9/10

Deus Ex Review

Introduction 

Deus Ex is a first person RPG game where you play as JC Denton an undercover agent working for anti terrorist group UNATCO(United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition). Because of nanotechnology implants JC Denton has super human powers called augmentations. Augmentations give you abilities like running fast, protection from radiation, as well as a direct communication link to JC Denton's brain. Missions in Deus Ex can be completed either by brute force or by taking alternate stealth routes. 

In Paris with human-mech enemies

Gameplay

Deus EX has different skills you can improve with experience points such as hacking, lock picking, weapons usage, medicine. Weapons are upgradable, as are augmentations. Enemies are either human, mech, or Human-mech and each require different strategies to defeat. There are lots to read Deus EX which can be off putting, but it is the best way to understand the story. Exploration is very important because it gets you points to use upgrading skills, and finds different routes.

Many of the doors in Deus Ex are locked with Keypads and finding the codes is important. If you find a datacube they will sometimes contain the code you need to open a door, sometimes talking with NPC will get you the code, or sometimes you can use multi-tools to override the keypad.

The story is Deus EX is about a disease called gray death and corporations and governments controlling the cure which is called ambrosia. The story is very enjoyable and full of twists and turns, I was never sure of the outcome until the end. Decisions you make in the game does make the game different later on, the game is non-linear and there are multiple endings.

The music is very nice and fitting with cyberpunk style of the game. The graphics are fairly bad, but this is not a new game so its understandable. Missions in Deus EX take place in various locations including New York, Paris, and Hong Kong.

One criticism of the game would be that it is too long,  and bgins to feel repetitive.  If a couple of the missions in the middle of the game were to be removed, the game would still be as good. Also Some of the boss fights can be anti-climatic if you are heavily armed.

Future New York City. Statue of liberty was blown up by terrorists.

Conclusion

Overall Deus Ex is a memorable and excellent game.  The non linear story is great. The world is very immersive and is even better if you are prepared to do reading of in game documents, books and newspapers. Deus EX is one of the best videogames I have played I highly recommend it.

score: 9/10

Bioshock Review

Introduction

Bioshock is a first person shooter set in an underwater city called Rapture. The game begins with you surviving a plane crash before finding the underground city. Rapture was planned to be an underwater paradise and a realisation of Ayn Rand's philosophy of objectivism. Objectivism is the philosophy that consciousness is separate from reality. The art style of the game is from the 1920/1930’s with neon lights and cocktail bars, with many posters in the same style as Ayn Rand’s theatre show posters. Rapture creator Andrew Ryan promises that the inhabitants be rewarded for the sweat of their brow although not everything goes to plan.  Plasmids are used to enhance people physically and mentally although there are bad side effects where the people who use the plasmids can go mad.

wrench equiped, and plasmid poster

 Gameplay

As well as guns there are also plasmids which give you super human powers such as giving electric shocks or calling swarms of insects. Weapons are upgradable as the many plasmids abilities. The graphics in the game are really good not only technically but the world is unique to other games I have played and consistent through the game. Combat with plasmids and weapons gives lots of tactical options and the ammo in the game is very rare so you have to use ammo wisely and search everywhere for money so you can buy from vending machines. Travel between levels is done metal dome vehicle called a bathysphere.

Big Daddies are one of the most interesting enemies in Bioshock. You will encounter Big Daddies every time you try to get Adam from Little Sisters. They are something in an atmosphere diving suit with a giant drill for a hand.  They don’t attack unless attacked them and one must be killed for every Little sister harvested or rescued.

Plasmid upgrades need a resource called Adam, which got from harvesting little sisters which are young girls that have been genetically modified and mentally conditioned to look for Adam. You can choose to rescue little sisters and get less Adam, or take maximum Adam but kill the little sisters. There are multiple ending and what you choose here decides what ending to the game you get. The game is scary because of the atmosphere and also the enemies that are mad have scary dialogue and show up when least expected.

Electro Bolt plasmid equiped,poster in a bar

Conclusion

Overall Biosock is a unique first person experience and is definitely worth playing, there is a lot more to the story than I have mentioned. The combination of plasmids and guns is a good idea, although I felt the shooting of the game could have been implemented better because sometimes I was not sure if my shots were registering on the enemy. The game also does not have a lot of replay value other than going for different endings and experimenting with different combinations of plasmids. The soundtrack to the game is good and fitting with the rest of the Bioshock.

Score 9/10